Gateworld 2012 Shipday Ten Drabbles Challenge
by fems
Summary: In the ten days leading up to Ship Day hlndncr gave one prompt a day and challenged us to write a 100-word drabble about it. These are my attempts.
1. Lost in a Storm

Lost in a Storm

-Jack

He had spent most of his adult life serving his country. Did some damn distasteful things.

Some threatened to overwhelm him. Stained his soul.

Losing his little boy by that fatal gunshot had sent him over the edge.

His first mission through the Stargate gave him back his sanity.

The second a new life.

Unlikely friends.

Her.

At first he'd thought nothing of how her smile chased away the lingering darkness.

Until they were separated by a force field. Realization came crashing down on him in a storm of emotions.

He couldn't leave her behind.

Never.

He loved her.

Always.

* * *

- Sam

She was a woman in a man's world. Had to work twice as hard to prove herself. Get less credit.

The pressure and expectations made her strive for success.

It paid off.

She was assigned to SGC.

He turned her world upside down by simply trusting her.

Without the pressure she thrived.

She fell hard for him. Couldn't imagine life without him.

It was complicated yet simple.

He was the safe haven when she got lost in the storm.

It was more than that.

He accepted her for who she was.

Would rather die than lose her.

It was love.

* * *

**A/N: **The cover art is the award hlndncr made for those of us who completed the challenge and wrote at least one drabble per prompt.


	2. Teasing and Compliments

_**Teasing and Compliments**_

- Sam

She was smart.

Always had been and hopefully always would be.

It was a blessing and an important part of who she was.

She could see that now.

It hadn't always been like that.

As a kid there had been expectations of her and tremendous pressure for her to succeed.

Everyone was always so serious and focused.

Never a kind word or compliment, just a knowing smile or nod.

Now, at SGC, it was different.

He joked and teased a lot. Tried to make her smile.

She still wasn't good at accepting compliments but he seemed intent on teaching her…

* * *

- Jack

That first briefing she had seemed determined to prove herself, standing on her soapbox.

He had dreaded working with her.

Until she smiled at one of his jokes.

Oh, she had tried to hide it but it hadn't gone unnoticed.

He cracked jokes to break through her tough exterior.

Always gave praise where praise was due when it came to his men.

The way her eyes lit up and she would smile shyly at a compliment told him enough.

It became his mission to tease or praise her when possible.

He didn't realize his own goofy smile when he succeeded.


	3. Compromising Positions

**Compromising Positions**

- Jack

"Cassie!" Jack frowned and opened the door for her to enter. "Weren't you staying with Carter?"

The teen stormed past him and plopped down on the sofa with a grunt. "We had a fight."

Jack dragged a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh. It didn't sound like Carter, but Cassie _had_ been acting out a bit since Janet's passing. "What happened?"

"She was being, like, totally unreasonable!"

"Cass?"

"Dominic had stopped by and… well, she kinda walked in on us in a, eh, compromising positi–"

"Ack! Not another word, I don't want to hear it!"

* * *

- Sam

"Thank you for bringing her back, Sir," Sam said, referring to Cassandra.

He shrugged, looking ill at ease. "Isn't that what this whole shared legal guardian thing is about?"

"I guess."

"I figured you two should talk and that wasn't going to happen with her at my place."

Sam smiled gently. "Did she tell you-"

"Ack! Just talk to her once she gets out of her room and make sure none of the details reach my ears, Carter!"

She chuckled softly at his flushed face, again wondering why Janet had decided they – CO and 2IC – should look after Cassie together…


	4. Among the Stars

_**Among the Stars**_

Her mother used to tell her there was someone out there for everyone when she came home crying because yet another boy had rejected her.

Sam hadn't believed it.

Dreaming of going into space with NASA she'd hoped they would discover other planets and maybe there would be an alien who didn't think she was a freak and love her for herself.

Now, years later, she felt foolish at the memory. She had traveled among the stars only to discover the love of her life was a boy from Minnesota in the body of a fifty-something year old man.

Jack.


	5. Coming Home

**Coming Home**

"Colonel, my office," Jack said brusquely once Carter appeared.

Sam dutifully followed him, still wearing her flight suit and sporting a soft smile.

"What's going on here, Carter?" He questioned after closing the door behind her.

"Following protocol, Sir."

"Like hell you are! Vidrine said nothing about any complications and _Hammond_ isn't scheduled to return to Earth for another three weeks."

Waiting until he calmed a bit, Sam smiled. "It was time for _us_ to come home."

"No, it wasn't," he denied. Following her gaze to the hand resting on her stomach he gasped. "Wait, are you saying-"

"Yes, Jack."


	6. A Quarrel and a Kiss

**A Quarrel and a Kiss**

- Jack

"Your leader is a fortunate man."

Jack pricked up his ears when he overheard the chief talking to Daniel but kept looking ahead and returned Carter's soft smile when he caught her eyes twinkling over the campfire.

"What do you mean, great leader?"

"He travels with his betrothed–"

Jack nearly choked on his wannabe s'more but Daniel quickly corrected the natives before he had to step in.

"But their quarrels, sleeping accommodations and sharing of food and water… They are not bound by a kiss?"

"No! We aren't, eh, 'bound by a kiss' on Earth. They just work together…"

* * *

- Sam

"Oh, for crying out loud, Carter!"

Sam rolled her eyes, summoning her patience and schooling her features like a good little soldier. "Sir, with all due respect…"

"Don't pull that crap on me, Colonel."

"Excuse me, Sir?"

His eyes narrowed at her and he waved his hand around. "That little condescending tone of yours-"

"Sir!"

"Oh, come on!"

Taking a deep breath, Sam tried to calm down. This was getting them nowhere. "I apologize, Sir. I did not mean any dis-"

"Please! Just kiss and make up already before the sexual tension suffocates the rest of us," Cassie cried out.


	7. Turning Point

**Turning Point**

She had lived an exciting life and been shaped by many pivotal events.

Mom's death, the _Challenger_ disaster, applying to the Academy, her engagement to Jonas, SGC vs NASA, being Tok'ra-ed, falling for her CO, making alien alliances, getting marooned on a spaceship, going on a blind date with a friend of her brother, defeating the Replicators and the Goa'uld, losing her father and Selmak, her engagement to Pete, going fishing with Jack…

Learning alternate realities were a fact Sam couldn't help but wonder about the turning points.

Except for one, of course; she and Jack were a universal constant.


	8. Whispers in the Dark

**Whispers in the Dark**

With her this close he could smell the soft scent of her shampoo and feel her curves pressed against him. She was surprisingly soft despite her toned figure and Jack couldn't help but wonder if it was a sign that they seemed to fit together so perfectly. Her breathing was loud in the small space, every exhale hitting his neck and setting his nerves on fire. His senses seemed to be in overdrive and he blamed it on the darkness.

"Christ Carter!" He whispered when she turned around, her six brushing his groin.

"Sorry, Sir, almost done."

Damn escape pods.


	9. Under the Influence

**Under the Influence  
**

Jack sat back on Daniel's sofa, watching the 'new' SG-1 interacting over pizza and beer. They were no longer his team or Carter's, now Mitchell officially was the team leader and Vala had recently been accepted as the fifth member.

"What about you, Jack?"

"My favorite alien influence, Daniel?" He smirked, his eyes finding Carter's. "Oh, I don't know. Probably P3X-797 or P3X-595…"

She flushed and by now he knew exactly how far down that went. "Oh, those designations you remember!"

"Those weren't mentioned in the mission reports – and I read them all!" Mitchell commented as the other guys laughed.


	10. By My Side

**By My Side**

Sam closed the door as the last of the guests left her house and went back into the living room. She was exhausted, and emotionally drained after the death of her father and her breakup with Pete.

"Sir, you're still here." Due to her confusion it came out more like a statement than a question, but she hadn't seen him for over an hour and thought he'd already left.

"Just wanted to help you clean up. It was a nice service, Carter. I'm sure Dad would have approved."

"Thank you, Sir."

He frowned. "For what?"

"Standing by my side."

"Always."

* * *

**A/N:** Don't forget to check out "The Shipper's Anthology of Penguin Literature" by hilandncr, which is a collection of all the drabbles of everyone who has participated over on GateWorld.


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